Pao palembangensis (= Tetraodon palembangensis)
Once
more we were able to import a small number of the most unbelievable
freshwater pufferfish. This species is quite specialized. It occurs only
on Sumatra and Borneo, where it lives in very soft and acidic water.
This puffer is a pure freshwater species that never enters brackish or
marine environments.
The
unusual pattern on the belly serves to make prey. Pao palembangensis is
a predator that imitates a dead fish while hunting. Then it hangs
around like carrion. If a small fish or a shrimp tries to feed on the
carrion it becomes food itself.
Rumors
say that the females´ hump on the back is much smaller than the males´
hump. In any way the species has already been bred in aquaria, where it
proofed to be a cave brooder. P. palembangensis attains a maximum length
of 12-15 cm.
Although
both species look totally different, in elder aquarium literature Pao
palembangensis (formerly: Tetraodon palembangensis) has been often
confused with the “Figure eight puffer”, Dichotomyctere ocellatus
(formerly known as Tetraodon biocellatus). The latter attains a maximum
length of about 8 cm and is a brackish water species. Due to this
confusion Pao palembangesis is also known as the “dragon puffer” in the
international trade.
For
our customers: Pao palembangensis has code 462555 on our stocklist,
Dichotomyctere ocellatus code 46250. Please note that we exclusively
supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
